Curiosity at Full Throttle: Lessons from a Transformative Event

“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”?-?E.E. Cummings

For the past few months I was given the privilege and the responsibility of supporting the champions of a Young Presidents’ Organization education event happening against the backdrop of the Formula One race in Las Vegas. Todd and Emily Spector are the visionary Champions who wanted to make sure that those who came to see the race would be transformed by the event – and they succeeded – I can attest to it personally.

Education and F1? For me, the Drive to Survive became the Drive to Learn. The theme? Curiosity. The education resources? All Changemakers who are changing the world with who they are. As the moderator I had the opportunity to research who they are and their missions, and then bring their stories to life onstage for the attendees.

As my kids can attest I LOVE asking questions. They tease us when they introduce new friends to my husband and I about whether their friends will survive the onslaught of curiosity coming their way. As a lifelong questioner this event allowed me to open myself up to learning about things I knew nothing about – esports, AI, transportation, human longevity, Olympic sports, and yes, F1.

I was a kid in a curiosity candy shop.

And while the takeaways from the resources were all powerful. The biggest takeaway for me is that curiosity is the cure for chaos. Yes, there is chaos in the world but in preparing for this event, I was able to focus on possibilities and impact. While the rest of the world was dealing with the aftermath of seismic change – I was focused on change that will make the world a better place.

Trust me, there is no better cure for feeling out of control than opening yourself to curiosity and making deep connections with other humans who are curious too. And by embracing curiosity I was able to change the story I told myself in my head about so many things I was so wrong about in my pre-curious judgment.

Like esports. The story I told myself was that esports was all about individuals playing by themselves not making deep connections. That it wasn’t a sport. That it was a drain on time - something to yell at my kid in the basement to stop doing.

I was wrong.

Meeting Joanie Kraut the CEO of Women In Games International, Brett Abarbanel, PhD and ED, Professor at UNLV and Executive Director of the International Gaming Institute and Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming I learned that esports?brings together diverse gamers from all over the world in competition that is rigorous and exhilarating – both virtually and in real life too.

While doing my research I watched a new documentary, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin about a young man living with a debilitating disease who found his community online. His parents thought he was spending too much time playing games. They thought that he was living alone with his disease. Upon his passing they learned that his life was rich with friendships and connections all from the world of gaming.

Like AI. I knew so little about AI except the headlines that are designed to fill us with fear. But I decided to embrace the use of AI for the event. Interviewing leading lights at Microsoft, OpenAI, and Invisible I decided to use AI to support my research and to help me chart out the arc of my questions.

(My favorite story about the use of AI was the woman who took a break from decisions and asked ChatGPT to run her life. The chatbot even told her to be nice to her mother-in-law - proving that being nice to your mother-in-law should be an easy decision but it’s nice to think the chatbot thinks so too).

Then there was the story that the Olympic spirit is just for the talented few – which is being reimagined by the visionary behind the movement for Play Equity? – Renata Simril CEO of LA84. Renata’s mission is to instill the power of the Olympic spirit that comes from sport into all kids. Her organization LA84?was formed following the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games and has been successful for over 30 years ensuring that sports are a part of children’s lives.

But Renata didn’t rest on that legacy – she set out to create even greater impact by reimagining the mission of the organization through the concept of Play Equity? to “bridge the play equality gap.”?Interviewing her along with Olympic Silver Medalist Katie Grimes opened my eyes to what it takes to be an Olympian. And while the Olympic dream may be imagined by many and realized by few, Renata Simril is ensuring that the Olympic-sized benefits of commitment, resilience, and growth that come from sport will be available to all.

And then there was the reason so many people came to Las Vegas: The F1. Interviewing journalists, media experts and engineers like Will Buxton, Darren Cox and Otmar Szfanauer, I learned that F1 drivers are among the most focused, well trained athletes in the world and their competitive spirit in the car is only matched by the incredible teams that support them and that the race itself is just part of the journey.

There are so many more conversations and topics that opened my mind and spirit to possibilities in the world - and I promise to share them with you. But my hope for all of you in this community is that as you wind down the year instead of the statements you can make about your hopes for the future - consider the questions you will ask yourself that will help you, your team, your family, and your community continue to grow.

Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts with Julia Louis Dreyfus, Wiser than Me. Introducing her guest legendary actor, director and model, Isabella Rossellini, Dreyfus shared that Isabella had gone back to school in her 50’s to study Animal Behavior + Conservation.

Upon graduating Rossellini gave the commencement speech to her fellow students and said this (and I rewound the podcast to capture if for you): “I am here to tell you if you ever encounter a dip in your life - pay no attention to the voice inside of you that judges you, that is negative, that fosters further anxiety - just follow your curiosity.”

The Spectors and the team at ImagineCo are on a mission to ensure curiosity leads the way. That the voices inside our head will be reframed into questions that can change mindsets and change the world. I was honored to be on the journey, and I look forward to continuing to do that with each of you.

This month’s OUTLAW ONE is all about a woman who questioned how the world viewed women who were called “housewives” (“A woman married to a house?”) – Erma Bombeck. I’m so excited to be spending the month of December in Des Moines, Iowa performing our production of Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End at the legendary Temple Theater. ?I’m still curious about her and her impact and most important sharing her story with those who love her and those who grow to love her as soon as they come to the show. Here is how to get tickets for your curious friends: Des Moines

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you or your organization to grow your EDGE: Explore, Dream, Grow &?Excite?. Feel free to reach out any time.

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